As the Giants stumble through a dismal 3-13 season, whispers of major shakeups surround General Manager Joe Schoen and Head Coach Brian Daboll, leaving fans bracing for seismic changes. Team owner and CEO John Mara stated that he didn’t “foresee any changes” after the season, but that was well before the team had clinched their longest losing streak in franchise history at 10 games. In addition, Big Blue was on the brink of being the first team in NFL history to go 0-9 at home had they lost in Week 17 against the Colts. In a season where the goal was to see young players develop, it’s getting more difficult for Mara to justify to fans Brian Daboll’s future and Schoen is the right person to pick the team’s next franchise quarterback in April.
What Is Brian Daboll’s Future With the New York Giants
Have Decisions on Brian Daboll’s Future Already Been Made?
As the team continues to falter and look less and less competitive, former coach of the year Brian Daboll’s future in New York might be in question. This week, ONNJ Sports sports insider Nikki Gist fueled the speculation even further with a series of cryptic posts on X suggesting some changes will occur after the season.
She did not elaborate on what specific changes owner John Mara plans to make. But in a reply, she said “one of them is out,” referring to Daboll and Schoen. According to the post, the unnamed source close to John Mara shared this information with her at a networking event.
However, the lack of details about the source’s identity leaves room for skepticism. Her post sent fans into a frenzy theorizing on what Mara plans to do: fire Daboll and keep Schoen or force coach Brian Daboll on a new General Manager in 2025?
Well my life is certainly interesting. Was at a holiday networking event for my real job tonight in NY. Got to chatting with this guy. Turns out he is extremely close to John Mara.
We had a very enlightening conversation to say the least
soooo much makes sense now
— Nikki Gist (@NikkiNic9384) December 19, 2024
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I was fully transparent with John Mara’s friend. Who I am. What I do. I know it frustrates a lot of people that I keep certain convos private. I get it.
I’ll say this. Nothing I heard really shocked me. That in itself should tell you all you need to know.
Water is wet
— Nikki Gist (@NikkiNic9384) December 19, 2024
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Mara hired both Schoen and Daboll before the 2022 season on five-year contracts, promising them patience to rebuild the team in their vision. Their first season began as well as it could: they transformed what many believed to be a bottom-five roster into a playoff team, secured their first postseason victory since Super Bowl 46, and saw Brian Daboll win Coach of the Year after leading the team to a 9-7-1 record. In that season, Daniel Jones and the rest of the offense saw improvement and Brian Daboll further established his reputation as quarterback guru. While the overall numbers weren’t stellar, the public perception around the league was that Daboll made the most with a limited roster.
The improvements from 2021 to 2022 sparked hope:
- Points per Game:
- 2021: 15.2 (31st in NFL)
- 2022: 21.5 (15th in NFL)
- Yards per Game:
- 2021: 287.3 (31st in NFL)
- 2022: 333.9 (18th in NFL)
- Passing Yards per Game:
- 2021: 188.0 (31st in NFL)
- 2022: 185.7 (26th in NFL)
- Rushing Yards per Game:
- 2021: 99.3 (24th in NFL)
- 2022: 148.2 (4th in NFL)
- Turnovers per Game:
- 2021: 1.8 (T-29th in NFL)
- 2022: 1.1 (7th in NFL)
- Red Zone Touchdown Percentage:
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- 2021: 44.7% (32nd in NFL)
- 2022: 63.3% (6th in NFL)
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Since 2022, the Giants offensive numbers are back in the NFL’s basement.
Points per Game:
- 2022: 21.5 (15th in NFL)
- 2023: 15.6 (31st in NFL)
- 2024: 14.3 (32nd in NFL)
Yards per Game:
- 2022: 333.9 (18th in NFL)
- 2023: 300.2 (29th in NFL)
- 2024: 292.3 (32nd in NFL)
Passing Yards per Game:
- 2022: 185.7 (26th in NFL)
- 2023: 190.4 (28th in NFL)
- 2024: 185.4 (29th in NFL)
Rushing Yards per Game:
- 2022: 148.2 (4th in NFL)
- 2023: 109.8 (20th in NFL)
- 2024: 106.9 (22nd in NFL)
Turnovers per Game:
- 2022: 1.1 (7th in NFL)
- 2023: 1.7 (25th in NFL)
- 2024: 2.0 (30th in NFL)
Red Zone Touchdown Percentage:
- 2022: 63.3% (6th in NFL)
- 2023: 50.2% (22nd in NFL)
- 2024: 45.0% (30th in NFL)
Schoen’s Influence on the Numbers
The Giants offensive statistics under Daboll’s coaching suggest that the team is trending backward, but is Joe Schoen giving him a roster set up for success?
Schoen’s first two drafts have not yielded many consistent contributors or starters. Here’s a breakdown of the New York Giants 2022 and 2023 draft classes:
2022 NFL Draft
- Round 1, Pick 5: Kayvon Thibodeaux, EDGE (Oregon)
- Round 1, Pick 7: Evan Neal, OT (Alabama)
- Round 2, Pick 43: Wan’Dale Robinson, WR (Kentucky)
- Round 3, Pick 67: Joshua Ezeudu, OL (North Carolina)
- Round 3, Pick 81: Cor’Dale Flott, CB (LSU)
- Round 4, Pick 112: Daniel Bellinger, TE (San Diego State)
- Round 4, Pick 114: Dane Belton, S (Iowa)
- Round 5, Pick 146: Micah McFadden, LB (Indiana)
- Round 5, Pick 147: D.J. Davidson, DT (Arizona State)
- Round 5, Pick 173: Marcus McKethan, OL (North Carolina)
- Round 6, Pick 182: Darrian Beavers, LB (Cincinnati)
2023 NFL Draft
- Round 1, Pick 24: Deonte Banks, CB (Maryland)
- Round 2, Pick 57: John Michael Schmitz, C (Minnesota)
- Round 3, Pick 73: Jalin Hyatt, WR (Tennessee)
- Round 5, Pick 172: Eric Gray, RB (Oklahoma)
- Round 6, Pick 209: Tre Hawkins III, CB (Old Dominion)
- Round 7, Pick 243: Jordan Riley, DT (Oregon)
- Round 7, Pick 254: Gervarrius Owens, S (Houston)
Out of Schoen’s first 18 picks, only Thibodeaux, Robinson, McFadden, Banks and Schmitz are viable NFL players. However, there can be an argument about whether any of those picks deserves second contracts with the team- which is the standard for a successful draft pick.
Schoen’s process is drafting for need over the best player available, which is a questionable practice for a team that doesn’t have many Pro Bowl-caliber players at any position. His strengths as a general manager are his ability to negotiate trades and remain firm in his positional value in free agency. However, after three years of his roster building, the Giants feel far away from being a consistent playoff contender yet again.
One of his saving graces is the production of the 2024 draft class- mainly from Malik Nabers, Tyrone Tracy, and Andru Phillips.
Will John Mara Finally Clean House in 2025?
The Giants are 8-23 over the past two seasons, with several key decisions—such as questionable trades, mishandling free agency, and inconsistent draft picks—proving costly. Most notably, Schoen allowed star running back Saquon Barkley to enter free agency following the 2023 season; Barkley signed with the Philadelphia Eagles and is now one of the front runners in the MVP race. Meanwhile, former quarterback Daniel Jones, who signed a four-year, $160 million contract before the 2023 season, left the team less than two years after the extension.
As the Giants lock in another double-digit loss season and fans intensify their calls for change—some even hiring planes to fly banners over the stadium—the question looms: will John Mara take decisive action, or will fans be left with another offseason of unmet expectations?
Main Image: Julian Leshay Guadalupe/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
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